Auto Car | 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 First Drive | BMW used the most recent Los Angeles Auto Show to display the production version of its new Activehybrid 7, the first product of its collaboration with Mercedes-Benz to produce a new mild hybrid system. While BMW and Mercedes partnered with Chrysler and General Motors on the more sophisticated two-mode hybrid that is now launching in the X6, the German's have also created an alternative lower cost and modular system. This mild hybrid will likely become the primary type used going forward for both of the German companies.
According to BMW, the point of the mild hybrid system was to create a balance between performance, weight and efficiency. A typical strong hybrid system adds about 300-400 pounds on to the mass of the base vehicle, much of it attributable to the battery pack as well as the complex power-split transmission. The mild hybrid 7 weighs just 165 pounds more than a 750i. We had a chance to take a short drive around downtown Los Angeles in an ActiveHybrid 7 and you can read about it after the jump.
When it comes to buying hybrids there are usually two main motivating factors that persuade potential customers; either saving money at the pump or the image of being green. When it comes to the new 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7, the $102,300 starting price ($106,200 for the long-wheelbase model) makes us think that most buyers won’t have too much trouble paying to fill ‘er up.
So buyers of the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 want to be seen as green but at the same time they want performance--and fortunately for them, BMW delivers here big time. The new model is BMW’s first mild hybrid and it also just happens to be the world’s fastest.
Featuring an electric motor matched with a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and a new eight-speed automatic transmission, the big sedan can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds--all while delivering EPA fuel economy estimates of 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway, a near 18 percent improvement over the similarly powerful 750i/Li.
It's still a 7-Series, of course, which means it's big, fast, solid, and luxurious. Like any BMW, the handling is exemplary. And it's a big car that's pleasant to drive fast, easy to place precisely on narrow roads, and predictable in its cornering behavior.
However, being BMW’s first attempt at a mild hybrid system, there are some issues. There’s definitely some getting used to at lower speeds as the car’s computer tries to blend output from the electric motor and engine as well as switch over to regenerative mode.
Below 25 mph, lifting off in a normal car allows momentum to let it coast effortlessly until the driver brakes or accelerates. But lifting off at those speeds in the Activehybrid 7 kicks on recharging instead--and the car starts to slow noticeably, as if it had driven into mud that was dragging it down.
(www.motorauthority.com)
According to BMW, the point of the mild hybrid system was to create a balance between performance, weight and efficiency. A typical strong hybrid system adds about 300-400 pounds on to the mass of the base vehicle, much of it attributable to the battery pack as well as the complex power-split transmission. The mild hybrid 7 weighs just 165 pounds more than a 750i. We had a chance to take a short drive around downtown Los Angeles in an ActiveHybrid 7 and you can read about it after the jump.
When it comes to buying hybrids there are usually two main motivating factors that persuade potential customers; either saving money at the pump or the image of being green. When it comes to the new 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7, the $102,300 starting price ($106,200 for the long-wheelbase model) makes us think that most buyers won’t have too much trouble paying to fill ‘er up.
So buyers of the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 want to be seen as green but at the same time they want performance--and fortunately for them, BMW delivers here big time. The new model is BMW’s first mild hybrid and it also just happens to be the world’s fastest.
Featuring an electric motor matched with a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and a new eight-speed automatic transmission, the big sedan can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds--all while delivering EPA fuel economy estimates of 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway, a near 18 percent improvement over the similarly powerful 750i/Li.
It's still a 7-Series, of course, which means it's big, fast, solid, and luxurious. Like any BMW, the handling is exemplary. And it's a big car that's pleasant to drive fast, easy to place precisely on narrow roads, and predictable in its cornering behavior.
However, being BMW’s first attempt at a mild hybrid system, there are some issues. There’s definitely some getting used to at lower speeds as the car’s computer tries to blend output from the electric motor and engine as well as switch over to regenerative mode.
Below 25 mph, lifting off in a normal car allows momentum to let it coast effortlessly until the driver brakes or accelerates. But lifting off at those speeds in the Activehybrid 7 kicks on recharging instead--and the car starts to slow noticeably, as if it had driven into mud that was dragging it down.
(www.motorauthority.com)
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